Tablets for diabetics also prevent heart failure

Tablets that address hyperglycemia in people with type 2 diabetes may also prevent heart failure.

A drug called empagliflozin is believed to stimulate the heart, increase heart efficiency, and lead to a “significant improvement” in function in just three months, according to a study funded by the British Heart Foundation.

Patients who participated in the study also lost weight and improved blood pressure.

Type 2 diabetes, caused by heredity, an inactive lifestyle, and excess body fat, affects about 3 million British people and is believed to affect millions more undiagnosed.

There are various treatments for this condition, but patients are more likely to develop more heart problems because elevated blood sugar levels damage the inside of arteries and veins.

Patients with type 2 diabetes are two to three times more at risk of heart and cardiovascular problems, and one-third die from cardiovascular events such as a heart attack.

Tablets that address hyperglycemia in people with type 2 diabetes may also prevent heart failure.Photo: Stock image

Experts have previously said that diabetics taking empagliflozin are less likely to develop these conditions because the body excretes excess sugar in the urine and prevents it from accumulating in the blood. I was pointing out.

Later, large studies have shown that the same drug, dapagliflozin, can be used in combination with other drugs to improve the symptoms of patients with heart failure.

This condition, which affects one million British people, occurs when the heart becomes weak or stiff and unable to pump blood effectively throughout the body. Although the outlook is improving, one in five patients with heart failure now die within a year of diagnosis.

Patients with heart failure suffer from debilitating symptoms such as extreme shortness of breath and extreme fatigue and are hospitalized on a regular basis. Heart failure causes about 86,000 emergency hospitalizations each year, and in many cases there is no alternative but to a heart transplant.

However, it is now becoming clear that empagliflozin helps prevent the development of heart failure in diabetics in the first place.

In the latest study, researchers at the University of Leeds recruited 18 patients with type 2 diabetes, took the drug, and monitored it for 12 weeks.

None of the patients had heart failure, but at the beginning of the study, we found that all patients had lower than normal heart energy levels and weaker heart contractions.

Dr. Charmain Tirnaukalas, a cardiologist who led the study, said: [by the end of the trial] The energy level of the heart has improved significantly, and the amount of blood pumped from the heart has also improved.

Researchers believe that the drug has a direct effect on the heart muscle and strengthens it.

Dr. Tirnavkaras added:

“This study does not formally examine quality of life, but you can see how they behave themselves. They looked happier.

“When they see their health improving, they seem to be eating healthier and exercising more.

“We know that these drugs are surprisingly effective if you have an already advanced illness, but it is very positive that there is something that protects the patient from the illness.”

One of the patients who participated in the study was quiz champion Barry Simmons. A 72-year-old who regularly appears on the television show Eggheads, he was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes 12 years ago.

Barry, a former IT consultant who has two adult children and lives in Leeds with his wife Janet, 69, said: Taking medicine and exercising.

“It was incredible to see the difference this new drug made, and I was really surprised when I heard that my blood flow to my heart improved by 18% in just three months.

“Blood sugar improved, blood pressure dropped, and in addition to regular exercise, half of the stones were lost.

“When I was diagnosed with diabetes, I was £ 10 at the age of 15. I was pretty overweight. I am now £ 8 at the age of 11. Best of all, I feel much better. It’s great.’